Fall Sports Highlights 9.24.18

In their first official outing of the season, the top six Martlet runners headed to the Canterbury Invitational and put forth an outstanding effort. Five of the six harriers are Fourth Formers, three of whom are new to Westminster and competitive high school running. The team's seventh place (out of 12) finish was one of the best results at this race for the black and gold in many years. The top five runners were under 25 minutes, and all of the girls ran significantly faster than last week. Leading the way for Westminster was Annabelle Smith '21, earning 10th place overall. Running for her second year, Smith destroyed her personal best by almost 50 seconds, finishing in 20:29. Newcomer Miranda Douglass '21 looked great in only her second race, finishing in the top 20. Douglass cut two and a half minutes off her time from last week. Olivia Goldstuck '21 also looked awesome shaving two minutes from her Choate finish. The third newbie on the squad, Aleyna Baki '21, also ran two minutes faster than last week. Rounding out the top five was veteran runner Maggie Chaves '19 who beat her time from last year's race as well as last week's. This group shows great potential, and it is going to be exciting to watch them develop as runners.

 

The Westminster thinclads were fired up for a perfect fall day of racing at the 46th Canterbury Invitational. The boys went into the race focused on pushing themselves to post strong times in this early season competition. Right off the line, an impressive pack of 10 or so runners was established and came through the first mile clustered around 5:10. Emmett de Kanter ‘19 was in that group and, by mile two, was solidly in third position, which he held on to for the rest of the race. The Loomis runner who has been undefeated for over a season won handily, but de Kanter was under 15 seconds back this time, and he dropped 30 seconds off his best Canterbury time. Dropping over 50 seconds from last season, Kieran Haug ‘21 was closely followed by Justin Schuster ‘19; both of these runners broke 18 minutes for first time this season and on this course. Daniel Pinckney ‘20 was knocking on the door of that threshold and looked strong, but the drop of the week came from Elliott Kennard ‘19, who was over 80 seconds faster than last week to break 19 minutes. Will Rizzo ‘21 also dropped a minute off last week, and Alex Ellis ‘20 was just over 20 minutes. The team was surprised and pleased to learn Westminster was the third-place team, its best finish since Westminster moved into Division 1. A great start to the season.

The Martlets had a great team-building bus ride up to NMH on a beautiful afternoon. The game was played at a high pace, with Westminster scoring four goals (Sam DeLeo '21 - three; Gemma Green ’21 - one) and all of the squad getting a chance to show its promise. Congrats to DeLeo on her hat trick.

 

The Martlets played nice field hockey against a superb team from Sacred Heart. The AstroTurf at Sacred Heart was certainly a home advantage, but the home team played great field hockey to score three nice goals and one that was a bit of an anomaly. Westminster's defense was fantastic, with a great display from Mandy Busky '21 in goal. The Martlets worked hard right to the end to finish proud.

The team showed excellent effort; especially considering it is a small squad. The first goal was scored by Eliza Breen '22, which was assisted by Callista Adorno '22. Shelby Oken ‘22 scored the second goal with an assist by Halli Keenan '21. Grace Rabley '21 played her first game in goal and did an excellent job.

 

Westminster First Girls' Soccer hosted Deerfield Academy for the first home game of the season. The first half opened up with Westminster having moments of tremendous soccer, but it was Deerfield who, 10 and 15 minutes in, got on the board with two goals from crosses and finishes within the Martlet 18-yard box. Although trailing by two goals, Westminster did not let down. Rather, they elevated their game and played with true grit in the second half with some notable — and gritty — defensive plays by Sam de Kanter '22, Eve Cathcart '20, captain Blake Cote '19, Solveig Nycander '20 and keeper Siena Sandridge '19. There were some Martlet chances to get on the board thanks to great offensive runs and ball control by captain Georgia Swank '19 and Wheatley Sutro '22, but Deerfield got on the board once more in the second half to solidify its win.

 

The Titans from Wilbraham & Monson got on the board twice within the first four minutes of play, which, unfortunately for Westminster, set the tone for the game. Westminster fought to equalize throughout the first half with more than 10 shots on goal, but the team did not come up with a goal. At halftime, the Martlets remained down by two with a possibility of a comeback. Wilbraham found the net at the beginning of the second half, but Wheatley Sutro ‘22 responded with tremendous top shelf penalty kick to lessen the deficit. Her solid play, along with great defending from Ella Varano ‘21 and Jaclyn Laplante ‘20, was notable, but the Martlets ended up falling to Wilbraham & Monson.

Westminster opened the season against always-powerful Taft School. The first half saw both teams play hard and fast soccer. Taft would open the scoring on a misplay on the backline, which sent the Taft player in all alone. Westminster would battle back to even the score at 1-1 heading into halftime. Xander Cardia '21 would score his first career goal for the Martlets on a well-hit ball from outside the box. Second half the Martlets started flat and the Rhinos would take some of the momentum. Taft would take the lead 2-1 in the 53rd min. The Rhinos would not look back as their top player would finish the game with five goals. Peyton Knauf '19 would get the start in net for Westminster and finished the game with six saves. Lucas Wahlberg '21 would go in net in relief and have four saves. Matt Kramlich '21 would get the team wrench for his hard work in a number of positions. Nathan Costantino '19 would be awarded the top player for the Martlets from the Taft coaching staff.

 

Westminster hosted Suffield in the annual home night game in front of at least 400 people. The game started with a great vibe as the music was turned all the way up and fans were already chanting with 15 minutes to go in warmups. The Martlets would get on the board first as Riley Wood '19 would knock a well-placed free kick into the box where Ryan Messina '20 would head it home. Both teams got up and down the field in the first half and exchanged opportunities. Suffield would get on the scoreboard late in the first half after a misplayed ball would send a Suffield player in on an empty net. The Martlets would shake off the disappointment of conceding a goal late and start the second half strong. Suffield would take the lead early on with a well-stuck ball from 35 years out from goal. Westminster would have numerous opportunities including two breakaways but could not find the back of the net. The game wrench would go to Messina. Suffield coaching staff selected Nate Pane '19 as Westminster’s player of the game.

 

Visiting Deerfield seized the initiative in the first half of this game, jumping out to a 3-0 lead at the half. The Green were quicker to the ball and sharp with their passing, producing steady pressure and numerous shots on goal. It could have been worse for the hosts if not for an amazing save of a penalty kick by first year netminder Lili Birrell '22. The girls came out determined to match or exceed Deerfield's effort in the second half, and the results were striking. More balls won meant more possession; less energy spent defending allowed for more and more potent attacking. Lauren Way '20 got the Martlets on the board just five minutes into the second frame, one timing a cleared corner kick into the net from a sharp angle. Deerfield would repay the favor in similar fashion seven minutes later to get its lead back to three, but Way would soon set up Susie Mahoney '20 for a blast from the penalty spot to cut it back to two. Although it seemed that the momentum might be exploited, the 4-2 score line would hold. Shout outs go to Cecilia Raymond '20, who made lots of dangerous dashes deep into Deerfield's end; Ridgely Green '20, who, along with Way, seized control of midfield in the second half; newcomers Hailey Tullo '22 and Elisabeth Knauf '20, who made lots of good touches on the flanks; and Campbell Swift '21, who played with poise and vision at center back and in midfield.

 

The young Second Boys' Soccer team fell to a good Taft side, but the 4-0 score runs counter to the improvements the team continue to make in practice. Jonah Prentiss '22 continues to impress with his game awareness and athleticism. The boys looked dangerous on the counter and Linc Dines '21 was unfortunate to see his hard work fall into the hands of the Taft keeper. The most impressive moment was after the game during the breakdown, when Malcolm Kleban '20 delivered a rousing team talk that highlighted the great attitude the boys have as a team. These first few games will be a struggle, but the players are starting to adopt the mindset that will set them apart from their peers.

 

Westminster fought hard against Suffield but could not find the goal its performance deserved. The Second Boys' team maintained long periods of pressure with Vincent von Nordeck '21 and Wylie Clarke '21 running the show in midfield. Travis Paulsen '20 put in a solid effort in the backline and enjoyed a good performance. Peter Sanger '21 had the best chance in the first half and was only denied by an acrobatic save from the Suffield keeper. The team is starting to make progress on and off the ball but still find itself searching for its first goal and win. The team has the talent and patience to make this season successful, it just need more time to show itself.

Westminster achieved one main objective in the first half of the game, in that it kept the opposition away from the center of the field, and did not let them get many good shots on goal. Tatiana Restrepo '22, Caroline McDermott '20 and Michelle Kim '20, played stingy defense keeping Westminster in the game at 2-0. However, in the second half an aggressive Ethel Walker junior varsity squad forced the ball to the center of the field often, scoring four goals in the first 20 minutes of that half and finished the game winning 7-0.

Suffield’s JV team came to Westminster and emerged with a 5-0 victory over the Martlets on a beautiful September day. The team again played well in the first half, keeping the score 2-0, but trailed off in the second half. The opponents dominated the middle of the field with controlled passing and few giveaways. Some younger Martlets put in a fair number of minutes and showed some improvement, including Izzy Bailey '21, Sasha van Vredenburch '21 and Sophia Coumantaros '21.

Westminster's constant pressure on Salisbury's defense finally paid off as Eugene Kim '19, assisted by Matthew Lewin '20 and Drew Brownback '19, snuck one past the Crimson Knight's keeper with just three minutes remaining in regulation. Despite the low scoring affair, the Martlets controlled both halves, playing fast, physical soccer while dominating the possession game. Salisbury's lone scoring opportunity was denied by defender William Scott '20, who showed momentous effort when he cleared a misplayed ball merely inches from the goal line.

 

Westminster traveled to Easthampton and played in the first water polo match in the school’s 130-year history, losing to the Wildcats, 15-4. Layton Harmon ‘21 scored the first two goals for the black and gold before Jeremy Hopsicker ‘22 added a 5m penalty shot and a quick shot from 4m out in the third quarter. The team played hard, learning quick, on the fly in what turned out to be a crash course in live water polo competition.

 

Canterbury opened the scoring with three early goals and added another in the second quarter to lead 4-0 at the half. Layton Harmon ‘21 put the Martlets on the board with a quick inside shot and Max Larock ‘22 added another in the third quarter after beating his defender to the left post. Jeremy Hopsicker ‘22 added a third score with a quick drive from the left flat and a well-placed shot over the keeper’s right shoulder. Shane Wahlberg ’19 played great in goal, deftly maneuvering to save a 5m penalty shot. The team learned much about itself and the game in the second match of the day — and the second match of the program’s history.

 

Water polo traveled across town to Loomis on Sept. 22 for a tri-match against Hotckiss and Loomis. After a rousing effort on Sept. 19, getting everyone’s feet wet at Williston, the day’s outing at Loomis was an opportunity to build from two more days of practice and a better understanding of the nuances of the game. Hotchkiss played hard and tough, giving Westminster little room to organize and attack. Layton Harmon ‘21 opened the scoring for Westminster making the score 5-1 Hotchkiss late in the first quarter. Hunter Hoogkamp ‘21 and Jeremy Hopsicker ‘22 would each add one before Harmon finished for Westminster making it 12-4 Hotchkiss on the day. Shane Wahlberg ‘19 weathered a healthy barrage of shots from the Bearcats, and managed to make a few timely saves to keep Westminster positive. Defense was much improved, and players were more comfortable with and without the ball, looking for ways to advance into the half-court offense and make attempts within the 30-second shot clock. Loomis, who defeated Hotchkiss earlier in the day, played Westminster tough, and would ultimately defeat the Martlets 12-2. Speed was at a premium in this matchup, and Loomis had the edge. However, they allowed the Martlets to practice some defense by limiting the breakaway bombs up pool. Westminster was able to make some effective defensive plays in their defensive end, both individually and as a team. Wahlberg made many great saves to keep the score close, and there was a better level of competition in the game. Great things are ahead for the Martlets if they bring their effort daily in practice, and push to learn the intricacies of the game.